1. Technical Field
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to digital mission plans for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). More specifically, one or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for generating a digital mission plan for capturing aerial images within a mission boundary utilizing a UAV.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Individuals and businesses increasingly utilize digital aerial images to capture information regarding target sites. Indeed, in light of advances in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), digital aerial photography has become increasingly affordable, and therefore accessible, for individual, industrial, and commercial applications. For instance, individuals now commonly utilize UAVs to capture digital aerial images of homes, places of interest, or even recreational activities.
In many applications, individuals and businesses seek to capture digital aerial images utilizing digitally automated UAVs. For instance, in many industrial applications, such as mining or construction, business consumers seek updated aerial images or maps of a target site on a daily (or hourly) basis. Accordingly, clients seek systems that can regularly and automatically traverse a target site and capture aerial images. Some conventional automated flight systems have been developed to address this client demand, but these conventional systems have various problems and limitations.
For example, some conventional automated flight systems can capture digital aerial images of a target site, but fail to account for prohibited flight areas. For instance, many industrial and commercial clients seek to capture digital aerial images of a site but are prohibited from flying in certain areas as a result of no-flight zones, uncooperative adjacent property owners, sensitive areas, or physical obstacles (e.g., powerlines, buildings, etc.). Common automated UAV flight systems typically fail to generate flight plans that accommodate prohibited flight areas.
Similarly, many conventional automated UAV flight systems fail to accommodate irregular, arbitrary flight areas. For instance, some common automated flight systems can generate a flight plan that flies over a rectangular target area, but cannot generate a flight plan that stays within more complex, arbitrary polygons. For example, in many applications a target site has an irregular shape as a result of roads, property lines, sensitive air space, or other considerations. Known automated flight systems cannot accommodate such irregular target sites or generate flight plans that will stay within irregular flight areas.
Moreover, many conventional automated UAV flight systems generate a two-dimensional flight plan that provides geographical coordinate pairs (i.e., x and y coordinates) for a UAV flight. These systems, however, fail to adequately plan for changes in elevation with regard to the ground surface or obstacles. Thus, for example, common automated UAV flight systems cannot generate a mission plan with altitude data (i.e., changing z coordinates) that properly accounts for elevation data with regard to the target site.
Finally, many common automated flight systems are time consuming and difficult to use, as well as rigid, providing a user with very few options in how a UAV will traverse a target site. Users desire automated flight systems that generate flight missions quickly and intuitively as well as providing flexibility in handling a variety of target sites, site conditions, etc. Common systems struggle to satisfy user desire for fast, simple, and flexible operation, particularly in light of the fact that a near-infinite number of possibilities exist with regard to traversing any given target site to capture digital aerial images utilizing a UAV.
Accordingly, a number of problems and disadvantages exist with conventional systems for creating a mission plan for a UAV to capture digital aerial images of a target site.